Mr. T. B. Jordan's Remarks on Electro-Metallurgy. 455 



work generally ; but it has certainly the great disadvantage 

 of requiring a new mould for every repetition of the work, or 

 rather a ?iew block, for these may in many cases be cast in a 

 mould which would be permanent for any number of repeti- 

 tions. There is however one means of avoiding this in some 

 cases, which is very well illustrated by the common boot-tree ; 

 if this were put together, and after having its surface metalized, 

 placed in the depositing trough for a proper time, we should 

 certainly have it covered with copper ; we may then take out 

 the centre or key-piece, which would unlock the others, and 

 they may readily be removed, leaving a copper boot — not a 

 very desirable article certainly, but the block may just as well 

 have been formed to a more suitable shape. Still there are 

 disadvantages in this mode of procedure which would limit the 

 application to a few articles, although there are some which 

 could not readily be accomplished in any other way. For 

 the production of ornamental vases and other works of value, 

 I would suggest the following method : — Let the whole, or a 

 segment of the work, according to the nature of the design, 

 be moulded in wax, carved in wood, cast in piaster, or pro- 

 duced in any more convenient way ; then metalize the surface, 

 and deposit on as large a portion of the original as will relieve 

 in one piece ; repeat this at different times over the whole 

 work, and so manage the edges of each piece that the whole 

 shall key together in the usual way, so that when finished 

 you will possess a metallic mould for the required work. 

 Should the design be complicated in form, a number of pieces 

 will be requisite ; but there are many very expensive articles 

 which would readily relieve if the mould were in a single piece, 

 and a very much more extensive class which may be made in 

 two parts. Of course the inside of these metallic segments 

 would correspond in polish and finish to the original model, 

 and the metal mould, when complete, would serve for an un- 

 limited number of copies, which would not require any clean- 

 ing up or hand finishing, but the parts would require to be 

 put together, which I propose to effect by the same power 

 that produced them ; this I think may be done by covering 

 the work with wax varnish while warm, and afterwards care- 

 fully cleaning all the edges, and then binding it together as if 

 for soldering; the joints must now be touched over with nitric 

 acid, and the article properly connected with the battery, and 

 placed in the depositing trough ; copper will immediately 

 begin to deposit on the joints, and in a few hours I imagine 

 that these joints would be quite as strong as any other part; 

 if so, the method would have the decided advantage of join- 

 ing the work with pure copper, and of doing this without ex- 



